


One Romantic Evening

by DizzyDrea



Category: JAG
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-10
Updated: 2010-01-10
Packaged: 2017-10-27 03:56:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/291375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzyDrea/pseuds/DizzyDrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An evening alone for Harm and Renee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Romantic Evening

**Author's Note:**

> No, I haven’t turned to the dark side. I’ll be a Harm and Mac shipper until the end of the show (although if They don’t get their act together I may decide to revolt). But my sister, Renee, asked me if anyone ever writes stories about Harm and Renee, so I had to oblige her. This takes place between _Lifeline_ and _Adrift I_.
> 
> JAG and all its particulars is the property of Donald P. Belisarius, Belisarius Productions, Paramount Television, NBC Productions and a lot of other people who aren't me. I'm doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

1445 EST  
JAG Headquarters  
Falls Church, Virginia

“Okay, I’ll see you tonight.”

Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. sat staring at the phone receiver in his hand as if he couldn’t remember how it had gotten there. The sound of someone clearing his throat brought him back to the present.

“Is everything okay, sir?” Lt Bud Roberts asked from the doorway, concern showing in the wrinkle of his brow.

Harm sighed heavily, gently replacing the receiver in its cradle. “Yes, Bud, but thanks for asking.”

“Sure, sir, anytime.”

“Is there something you needed, Bud?” Harm asked, noticing his friend was still standing at the door.

“Oh, yes,” Bud shook his head briefly before entering the office, his hand outstretched. “The deposition on the Simmons trial. You asked for it when you came in this morning.”

“Thanks,” Harm gave a small smile in gratitude.

“Was there anything else you needed, sir?” Bud asked, truly wanting to help. He had noticed the unsettled look on his friend’s face when he’d come in, but didn’t want to intrude on the Commander’s personal life unless he was invited to.

“No, Bud, I think I have everything now.”

Bud nodded and turned to leave the office, glancing back briefly before moving back to his desk. He still saw the troubled look on Harm’s face, and wasn’t convinced by the easy manner and light smile that Harm had given him, but there wasn’t much he could do for his friend except hope that whatever was wrong would fix itself soon.

“Not likely,” Bud muttered under his breath.

“What’s not likely?”

Bud looked up, startled. He hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud, much less that someone would hear him.

“Oh, nothing ma’am,” Bud stammered.

Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie didn’t look convinced. It wasn’t that Bud never muttered to himself, because the man had the annoying habit of doing it all the time. But she had seen the look of concern cross his face as he emerged from Harm’s office, and against her better judgment, had decided to try to find out why.

“Come on, Lt., out with it,” Mac ordered.

Bud shuffled his feet, feeling uncomfortable. Finally he sighed and gave in. “I’m just worried about the Commander. He seems…I don’t’ know…so down. Dejected almost. Maybe I’m just imagining it,” Bud finished, growing more uncomfortable by the minute.

“Well, Lt.,” Mac tried to reassure him, “whatever it is, I’m sure he’ll work through it. He always seems to come out on top.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bud responded before turning back to the work at his desk.

Mac gave him a quick smile and then headed back to her office. Dejected, Bud had said. She’d bet good money she knew why. After what happened at the Admiral’s house the night of her engagement party, they had barely spoken to each other. But she was still going ahead with the wedding, and she knew it was hard on him. At this moment she couldn’t even say why she was still going ahead. It was like she was on a runaway train, and she couldn’t reach the brakes.

~o~

Harm sat for a time just staring out the window of his office. Renee had called to tell him that she would be back in Washington that evening, sooner than her original plan. He had tried to sound enthusiastic, but he wasn’t sure he’d quite managed. Ever since Mac’s engagement party, he’d been in a funk. He’d walked around with his head in a fog, ignoring everyone, including Renee. 

He knew it wasn’t fair to her. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She’d just been the wrong girl at the right time. Harm smiled ruefully at himself. How did he always manage to get himself into trouble without the slightest idea how to get out?

Well, this was one time he wasn’t going to just sit around and feel sorry for himself. Mac was going to marry Brumby, and as much as it pained him to see it happen, he knew that her mind was made up. So he would simply make the best of the situation at hand. 

Glancing over his desk, he checked over the case files still pending. There wasn’t much, since he was leaving for his quals in a few days. A glance at his watch told him that it was barely 1500, but he figured no one would miss him for the rest of the day. Grabbing his briefcase and cover, he was out the door before he could change his mind.

“Bud,” Harm called as he passed the younger man’s desk. “If the Admiral is looking for me, let him know I went home to work the rest of the afternoon.”

“Aye, sir,” Bud called as he watched the Commander charge through the bullpen and out the doors without a backward glance. “Wow.”

“Wow, what, honey?”

Chagrined at once again being caught mumbling out loud, Bud’s face turned slightly pink as he turned to face his wife.

“The commander,” Bud stammered out. “He sure was in a hurry.”

“Maybe he’s got a hot date,” Harriet Simms smiled suggestively at her husband.

Bud, not catching on, said, “I don’t think so. He seemed really down earlier. Wouldn’t he be happier if he had a date with Ms. Petereson?”

“Oh, Bud,” Harriet said in exasperation, smiling and shaking her head at her clueless husband.

1755 EST  
Harm’s Apartment  
North of Union Station

Harm paced nervously outside his apartment door. He’d spent the better part of the afternoon getting things ready, but he was still nervous. For as understanding as Renee tried to be, he knew she was getting frustrated with him. And he couldn’t blame her, not really. He hadn’t done anything to really endear himself to her lately. But he hoped tonight would make up for it.

The ding of the elevator car arriving halted him in his tracks, and he stood casually, trying to calm down, and waited for the doors to open.

“Harm,” Renee said, somewhat surprised to see him standing outside his apartment. As she approached, she took in his appearance. A black shirt and khaki’s, which told her he’d been home for a while. Although it didn’t matter to her what he wore, he looked good in anything, even a burlap sack.

Harm gave her one of his heart-stopping smiles, just a few watts shy of full blown. “Welcome back,” he said as he pulled her into a hug.

“What’s all this for?” Renee questioned suspiciously.

“What, I can’t welcome my girlfriend home properly?” Harm’s look of feigned hurt earned him a chuckle.

“Okay, I’ll let it slide this time,” she told him with a slap to his arm.

“Good,” Harm told her. “Now, close your eyes.”

Renee eyed him suspiciously again. “Why?”

Harm let out a sigh and moved behind her. “Because you won’t get your surprise if you don’t,” he whispered in her ear, causing a tingle in her spine.

“Okay,” she made a big show out of covering her eyes. She heard Harm open the door, then felt him tug on her arm to get her to move forward. “Can I open my eyes yet?”

“I’ll tell you when,” he informed her, his breath once again brushing against her ear and causing her to shiver.

Renee shifted from one foot to the other, her impatience evident even from across the room. Harm stood next to the table, surveying his work one last time to make sure everything was perfect. 

Turning back to where Renee stood near the door, he watched her silently. She was beautiful, in a movie star sort of way, with her long blond hair just brushing her shoulders and her figure slim but with curves in all the right places. She wasn’t dressed like a Hollywood screen legend, though. Harm shook his head. Only Renee would pair white cropped pants with a tight red top and a leopard print duster.

“Okay,” Harm finally called to her, “you can open your eyes now.”

When Renee did open her eyes, the sight that greeted her brought tears to her eyes. Harm’s apartment was lit with the soft glow of candlelight. There were candles everywhere: in the living room, in the kitchen, she even thought she saw some on the steps to the bedroom. Soft jazz was playing on the stereo. Harm stood next to the table, a single red rose in his hands, a bouquet of them on the table beside him.

“Oh, Harm,” was all she could get out.

Harm crossed the room to stand before her. He handed her the blossom he held and moved to take her coat, tossing it across a chair in his living room. He led her to the table and pulled out her chair before seating her.

The table, she finally noticed, sparkled just as much as the rest of the room. Harm had pulled out the good stuff, as her mother used to say. China and crystal winked back at her in the candlelight.

Harm knelt down on one knee beside her chair, taking her hand in his. “I’ve been awful to you lately, and I’m sorry,” he said without preamble. “And I wanted to make it up to you. So I’m going to give you one incredibly romantic night tonight.”

“Oh Harm,” she said again, words failing her. Harm reached up and brushed her cheek with his fingertips before rising to place a kiss on her forehead.

“Now, I’ve got everything ready, so you just sit there and enjoy yourself,” Harm instructed her as he made his way to the kitchen.

Dinner was served just a few minutes later, complete with champagne. They ate slowly, and talked about a thousand little things. When dinner was over, Renee began to rise to take her dishes to the sink.

“No, no, let me,” Harm admonished her with a smile. “I don’t want you working tonight.”

Renee just shook her head, smiling. Harm hadn’t been this attentive since, well, she couldn’t remember since when. She sat and watched him as he cleared the table, her chin in her hand, a small smile playing at her lips. She loved to just watch him, especially when he didn’t know she was doing it.

Even when he wasn’t in uniform you could tell he was an officer. He had a certain air about him that had attracted her from the start. But getting to know him had been difficult. He didn’t share well, and even after a year, he could still surprise her, something she wasn’t sure was a good thing.

When he’d finished clearing the dishes, Harm walked to the stereo and turned up the music. Turning to Renee, he offered her his hand and said, “May I have this dance?”

Renee smiled up at him and allowed him to lead her to the living room. Pulling her close, he swayed to the music, leading her effortlessly across the floor.

“Is it just because you’re a pilot that you know how to dance so well?”

Harm smiled that charming smile of his, and said, “Well, to tell the truth, all midshipmen at the Academy have to take dancing lessons. I guess I just picked it up better than most.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” he smiled down at her.

Harm’s eyes slowly took on the smoky haze of desire and he lowered his head to press his lips to hers. The kiss was long and sweet, and when they finally parted, Renee looked up into Harm’s eyes.

“That was nice,” she told him.

“Mmm, sweet,” was Harm’s assessment.

Renee smiled at the compliment. She’d had doubts before coming over tonight, but Harm was slowly putting them to rest. He hadn’t gotten that far away look in his eyes that told her he was someplace else, and for that she was grateful.

“Come on,” he said quietly, effectively breaking her reverie.

“What now?”

Harm smiled down at her and simply said, “Dessert.”

He led her to the couch, where she noticed for the first time that there was a bowl of strawberries sitting on the coffee table, looking very inviting. She shook her head once again. He’d thought of everything.

Harm sat down and pulled Renee into his embrace, leaning her back against his chest as he picked up the bowl and plucked out a bright red berry. Renee kicked off her shoes and snuggled back against Harm, suddenly looking forward to dessert.

“Open wide,” he instructed her, and when she’d done as he’d asked, she was rewarded with a juicy bite of fresh strawberry.

Closing her eyes in pure pleasure, Renee moaned slightly. “Where did you get such wonderful strawberries in Virginia?”

“That’s my secret,” he whispered into her ear.

He reached out to the table once more, this time coming back with a glass of champagne that she hadn’t even realized was there. He gave her a sip and then took one himself before setting the glass down on the floor beside him.

Renee reached out to the bowl and picked out a strawberry. Turning slightly, she tapped Harm’s lower lip with it and, when he’d opened his mouth, popped the berry inside. Harm sighed with pleasure, his eyes heavenward as he savored the taste of the fruit.

They went on this way for some time, each feeding the other in turn, taking sips of the champagne until the glass was empty. When they’d eaten nearly the whole bowl, Harm set it aside and slipped his arms around Renee, content to just sit and be with her for a while.

At length, Renee turned in his embrace and smiled up at him. “Thank you,” she simply said.

“For what?”

“For this,” she indicated the apartment, still awash in candlelight. “For taking the time to do all this.”

“You deserved it,” was all he could say.

Renee snuggled down against Harm’s chest once again, a peaceful feeling stealing over her. She closed her eyes and, without meaning to, slipped slowly into slumber.

Harm noticed her breathing even out and realized she had fallen asleep. That suited him fine. He was content to just lay there on the couch with her in his arms.

He liked Renee. Maybe on some level he even loved her, although he would never admit it to anyone, especially her. She was fun to be around, dynamic, confident, and she cared about him. For now he knew it would have to be enough. And he had to admit that he’d enjoyed the evening as much as she had. He’d have to remember to do this more often. 

He’d tried not to think about anyone or anything else all evening, and had mostly succeeded, but now, feeling close to sleep, his mind drifted to the only other person who could have made this evening perfect. He imagined it was her he was holding, and he found it wasn’t that hard at all. But she wasn’t here, and he’d have to be content with just the dream.

He found himself growing sleepy and, settling deeper into the couch, he closed his eyes and drifted into his dreams.

~Finis

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Post Script: The cadets and middies at the Academies did, once upon a time, have to take dancing lessons. I don’t know if they still do, but can’t you just imagine it?


End file.
